How To Build The Perfect Cheese Board: 5 Steps + Expert Ideas To Make It Yours 

To master the artistry, we enlisted the help of Toria Smith, founder of U.K.-based grazing catering company GRAPE & Fig. Here, we pick her brain on how to build the best cheese board, every single time, plus some gorgeous pairing ideas for you to try out. 

You also don't necessarily need to have "cheese knives"—just a standard knife will do if that's all you've got. Sure, a proper cheese knife may give the board a certain sense of grandeur, but it's not the be-all and end-all; you can still create a fancy-looking platter with any tools you have in your kitchen. 

Ready to place your produce? Here are the steps to cheese board success:

You can even swap the cheese for something else that's fan-friendly, like creamy avocado. Just slice a few halves and fan them out on the platter. "Instead of putting half an avocado down, it instantly makes the board look a little bit more intriguing," Smith explains.

The solution? Create an "edge." Grab produce that's a bit more sturdy, like oranges, grapefruits, cucumbers, even round cured meats. Cut those slices in half to create a sharp edge, and place them around the perimeter of the platter. "You're essentially creating a little barrier between the rest of the platter and the outskirts," says Smith. That way, you don't have to worry about your precious olives rolling off the edge; everything will stay intact, even as you move the board from room to room. 

No matter what produce you use, "create whole, dense sections with one type of produce and one type of color," Smith adds. It's the key to keeping your cheese boards stylishly cluttered rather than messy. 

Even with those mini mountains, you'll likely have small gaps in between your piles. That's where your looser objects come into play; think olives, blueberries, blackberries, nuts, pomegranate seeds—choose your own adventure here. Place whatever you have in those gaps to make the board look super dense and stunning; "The idea is not to have any space left on the board that you can see so everything is completely fit, but it doesn't look like a mess," Smith advises. Perhaps the finest line in the art of cheese board making.

Grab your delicate ingredients—figs, honeycomb (or a drizzle of honey, if that's all you have), some cut strawberries, ground pistachios—and place them on top of contrasting colors. If you have edible flowers or herbs, that's stellar—it'll give the platter quite the sensorial experience. "It just elevates your graze, taking it from normal to something that looks really gorgeous," Smith notes. 

You can definitely opt for themed boards, if that's more your jam. You'll follow the same method, but with a certain list of ingredients. For example, if you wanted to go the Mediterranean route, you could load up on feta and throw in some gorgeous antipasti. If you wanted to follow a certain color scheme—an orange-hued platter, perhaps—opt for citrus, dried apricots, and oranges cheeses like cheddar or red Leicester. Let your creative juices flow however they may; with Smith's method, you'll have an artfully curated board every time, no matter the ingredients. 

According to Smith, refrigerated cheese should thaw for about an hour in order to reach room temperature (which is the ideal temperature for serving). Creating the board takes around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how adept you are at assembling. So by the time you finish the platter, the cheese should be at the perfect serving temperature. That said, you'll want to serve your cheese platter straight away to keep it as fresh as possible. "Show it off!" Smith advises (presentation is technically the sixth step in the method, after all). Even if that means snapping a picture to share on your next Zoom call before digging in.  

As with all forms of art, cheese-board-building is inherently subjective. You might love an abstract, Jackson Pollock-esque cheese board—and that's OK! There's no reason to agonize over where to place your manchego. But for those looking for some expert-level ideas, this works-every-time grazing method is fail-safe, and it's a great activity to keep you occupied over the weekend. Even if you aren't gathering for a dinner party, there's certainly no harm in a cheese board for one.